Kila Ka'aihue slides safely into second on a one out double. The Oakland Athletics took on the Cleveland Indians Sunday, April 22, 2012.

Photo: Sean Culligan, The Chronicle

Kila Ka'aihue slides safely into second on a one out double. The...

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Jemile Weeks turns a double play in the sixth inning. The Oakland Athletics took on the Cleveland Indians Sunday, April 22, 2012.

Photo: Sean Culligan, The Chronicle

Jemile Weeks turns a double play in the sixth inning. The Oakland...

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Minnesota Twins' Luke Hughes high-fives teammates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla., Sunday, March 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Photo: Patrick Semansky, Associated Press

Minnesota Twins' Luke Hughes high-fives teammates after hitting a...

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Minnesota Twins second baseman Luke Hughes leaps but can't get a glove on an RBI single by Tampa Bay Rays' Jeff Salazar during the sixth inning of a spring training baseball game in Fort Myers, Fla., Tuesday, April 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

For years, the A's have tried to replace Eric Chavez. Not the Chavez of part-time lore who spent more time on the disabled list than on the field. But the Chavez of 1999 to 2007, when he still was a threat at the plate and a Gold Glover at third base.

So Josh Donaldson and Eric Sogard shared the position the first 17 games and performed so well that the A's have acquired someone else to play third.

Ladies and gentlemen, Luke Hughes.

Manager Bob Melvin, whose A's beat Cleveland 5-1 on Sunday, was asked if Hughes will be in the mix at third, and he said, "Good chance of that."

Why not? Donaldson is 3-for-32 (.094) - and 1-for-22 with 11 strikeouts in his past six games - and Sogard is 5-for-30 (.167) after his 1-for-3 on Sunday.

Hughes, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Twins, having been designated for assignment after going 2-for-10 in four games. Last year, he hit .223 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 96 games.

He's no Chavez, but he might be an upgrade from Donaldson/Sogard, and that's all the A's want. At the time of the transaction, Oakland third basemen were hitting .123 with a .153 on-base percentage, one homer, four RBIs, two walks and three runs scored.

Suddenly, Hughes' .224 lifetime average sounds inviting. In his career, he has appeared in 40 games at second, 37 at first and 16 at third.

Reliever Grant Balfour called Hughes a "hard-nosed player who just needs a shot," and it should be noted that Hughes, like Balfour and reliever Rich Thompson - who was claimed off waivers from the Angels on Friday - is a native of Australia.

"Kind of unique," said Balfour, the first Aussie to arrive. "One guy comes here and another. I'm happy for them. Both were designated (for assignment). I feel both are good enough to be in the big leagues. Now they're in the green and gold. We'll see what happens and hope all of us could have some success."

Sogard fouled out to end a bases-loaded threat in the fifth inning, but by then, Seth Smith had hit a two-run homer that was sandwiched between a Cliff Pennington RBI double and Kurt Suzuki's run-scoring single. Sogard scored the final run in the eighth, hustling home from second on Pennington's infield single.

Tyson Ross, in his second start of the season and on his 25th birthday, pitched into the seventh, and Jordan Norberto, Ryan Cook and Balfour completed the final 2 1/3 innings.

A's third basemen have struggled - Donaldson is a candidate to lose his roster spot - but Hannahan is off to a quick start with the Indians, hitting .341. In a pregame chat, he credited his improved numbers in Cleveland to playing home games at Progressive Field, which he said is a far more comfortable hitter's park than the Coliseum.